


Blue is the new Red

by ShnastySoup



Series: Anything relating to Blue is the new Red [1]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Gen, Mad Ben's verse ooooo, features illustrations!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-09-03 04:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8696221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShnastySoup/pseuds/ShnastySoup
Summary: Basically the story of Albedo but Mad Ben's timeline.10/10 A+ summary someone give me a medalHas illustrations!Updates on WeekendsIMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING ALL FICS IN CHAPTER 11





	1. Journey START!

It had been six years since Azmuth simply gave up and allowed the child to keep the Omnitrix. Six. Agonizing. Years. And not a thing was done about it! His mentor moped around, constantly rambling about the kid using the watch as a weapon without ever actually doing anything about the issue. It was rather depressing to watch, really. Albedo had long since decided he would retrieve Azmuth’s prized tool, but to make it easier on himself, he decided to build his own prototype, despite Azmuth’s warnings. What was wrong with wanting to help him? He wanted the original Omnitrix back, didn’t he?

Despite his high intellect, he never predicted this. There he stood in the lab, taller than he should be. Sweaty, smelly, hungry, hairy and feeling rather irrationally angry. He should’ve listened. He dared a glance at something reflective. His prototype watch had turned him into an _exact copy_ of sixteen-year-old Benjamin Tennyson, down to his current clothing. And he had a mild craving for spicy honey-glazed sweet potato fries. How specific.  _Why hadn’t he listened_. “ _If you had been listening to me_ , which you clearly haven’t been, then you would have heard me mention that the boy’s form is the default for the Omnitrix as he was the first user it properly attached to, meaning that if yours synchronizes with it, which it obviously did, then _your_ default would be his form as well, the same might be said for any other Omnitrix replica.”

Albedo looked to his now human feet. He anticipated that he’d trip over them constantly. He became irritated with staring at his feet and looked at Azmuth over on the raised ledge of the overlook instead, which didn’t look as high up now as it once seemed before. He quickly realized that its primary purpose was to give his fellow Galvans higher ground so taller species, such as humans, wouldn’t have to hurt their necks looking down at the tiny species all the time, along with giving the now elevated Galvans a piece of mind knowing they can’t be stepped on accidentally. Truly genius interior design. He now noticed the itchiness of the black marks under his eyes, but didn’t rub at them. He wasn’t an idiot. He’d just wash them off when he had the chance. “I should prob-” He paused, a look of horror on his face. “My voice! I sound just like Tennyson!” “Complete copy...down to his accent...steer clear of peanuts and tree nuts in general, in case you've acquired his allergy.” He just gave Azmuth a look that was truly pitiful, slumping his shoulders. Tennyson seems to have a habit of showing emotion with his whole body, as the action was not his own. Did...did other humans do that? “Don’t give me that look.” Azmuth was narrowing his eyes at him. Did his mentor always wear clothes with mismatched shades of green? It was driving him nuts. Wait, how did he even notice such a minuscule detail? “Maybe now I could retrieve it.” Azmuth gave him incredulous look. “The Omnitrix? Blast it, Albedo! Forget about that damn thing for five seconds!” The look he gave his mentor could be described with the term ‘puppy eyes’. “You don’t want that thing anymore? After you labored for years on it?” The older Galvan let out an exasperated sigh. “You clearly seem to want it badly. I don’t want or need it, but if you feel like wasting energy on it then fine, I won’t stop you. All I ask is you get accustomed to you new form first, as well as make preparations for your trip. From what I’ve heard, it won’t be easy to get my- _your_  Omnitrix back. It's yours now, I don't even care. Congratulations." Albedo’s face lit up. Azmuth simply sighed.

It wasn't too long until Albedo felt he had waited long enough. He was ready to go to the wasteland that was Earth. All the things he needed for about a week were in a theft-proof backpack. If he forgot anything, he could bring his case to his Celestialsapien form, and they would likely be fine with it. Anything that had to do with the deciding vote's survival always gets their attention. He'd be fine. All he had to do was get Tennyson's watch, then he could go back and he and Azmuth can work on a way to return him to his Galvan form. Didn't sound too hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not every chapter will have drawings, and not every section will have a drawing.
> 
> However, drawings may be added and redone over time


	2. Day 1: Late afternoon, Shelter

The hum of the teleporter faded in his ears as he took in his surroundings. Azmuth said he would warp him to a part that didn’t get much surveillance, yet wasn’t completely detached from sentient life altogether. His mentor had told him that he would warp him to such a place because he wanted Albedo to create a team, as going about his business alone was too dangerous. He may be intellectually superior, but he lacked much physical strength. Albedo scanned the area, spotting some rubble from a building and moving to it.

Best he start getting long-term supplies now. As he approached the rubble, he found a broken down vehicle of which he believed was called an RV. Slightly cautious, he dared a peek inside. Empty. Phew. Maybe he could use this as shelter. Seemed safe enough. The inside of the RV was intact and rather well-kept for a vehicle in post-apocalyptic Earth. That was rather concerning, as it meant someone had probably been in the area before. Considering all the usable materials were still there, someone else had to be living in the RV, without a doubt. Maybe they were friendly?

 

Probably not, he figured. Logically, they wouldn't care if he enters the vehicle as long as he doesn't take anything, so he's fine. At least he hoped so. He tried the door. Locked. Oh well. He was about to leave when something shiny glistened in the corner of his eye. He looked down to find an overturned rock. No, it wasn't a real rock, it was a false one, a false one that had a  _key_. Albedo plucked the spare key from the false rock, dropping the rock. He tried using the key with the lock.  _Click!_ Success! He swiftly looked around and pocketed the spare key before going inside, first noticing the slightly homey feel, almost like he'd be safe in the RV, no matter what was going on. He locked the door just in case, just now realizing the shades were added on recently, there being no conceivable way the RV would ever be sold with rods like that. So someone _had_ been using it after all, or at the very least intended to do so. He looked around the RV, taking note of the curtain at the front and the curtain at the back, the bunk beds, a bathroom, a kitchen, some radios, and a booth. Such a vehicle could be used for comfortable long-term traveling living space for about three. He really hoped the current resident -if there was anyone at all- was fine with sharing. It had the space for two, no doubt. Perfect living space. He went over to the bunk beds and brushed the bottom bunk off so he could sit down. No dust or dirt, warm. Someone had been here  _very_ recently. Recently enough to have either slept or taken a long nap, that or simply lounging. He remembered that the sun was already going down when he got here, and the thought of sleeping made him drowsy. Jet lag of sorts? Most likely. The door was locked, wasn’t it? He’d be fine if he slept for a little bit. Albedo slipped off his backpack, suddenly finding his eyelids getting rather heavy. Then he yawned. Curse his human form, he used to be able to stay up for weeks without sleep, but alas, humans require quite a bit of sleep to function, more than most species. A weakness, if he ever heard one. Three days is the max for staying up, then the body knocks you out without warning, no matter your current task or whereabouts. After that, it just gets harder and harder to actually stay up again. He’d rather listen to his body and sleep than deal with that, thank you. He promptly flopped onto the mattress, which was surprisingly comfortable. Maybe that was because he was tired. Who knows? Who _cares_? Albedo curled up and drifted off into sleep, not even considering who might be there when he woke up.

Not considering that he might even get killed during the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PRESENTING AN UPDATE SCHEDULE!  
> So far it seems like Wednesdays and 11:00 PM on a Tuesday is where I'm leaning at.  
> coolio.


	3. Day 2: Asscrack of dawn, New objective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albedo will tell you his life story to stop you from killing him. Seriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIME TO FIND OUT WHO WAS IN THE RV  
> *DRUMROLL*  
> also imagine Mad Albedo sounds exactly like Mad Ben(no duh) but the accent isn't as thick. Like it's there but not *there* ya know? Also his voice is polite-toned. accent may be confused with light british accent at times.

When he finally woke up, it was still dark, but that was because it was so early. He had shifted during the night to the foot of the bunk, his back to the foot of the bunk. Or had he been moved? It was too dark to see, so he went to activate his prototype Omnitrix for light, but to his horror and mostly confusion, he found that there was a clamp over it. When did that get there? “So. You’re finally awake.” Albedo froze.

He looked up, having to squint in the dark, but Tennyson’s Tetrachromacy made it all that easier to see the person who had just spoken, who was sitting on the booth's table, facing the bunks. He sat up on the edge of the bunk to see better. The first thing he noticed was the lack of a right arm, the second was how roughed up he looked, and finally it was the scars. He had no trouble with color distinction now, and clearly saw the nasty scars this person bore.

** **

“If I may, why’s there a clamp on my arm?” Ah, his accent, it never fails to make him sound _off_. The person snorted, like there was something he should already know and that this was simply a joke. “Don’t play dumb, _Warlord Tennyson_ , you know why that’s there.” Albedo’s face scrunched up in confusion. Then realization hit him. “ _Warlord_ Tennyson? Is _that_ was he’s been usin' the most _powerful_ tool in the Universe for? To play _tyrant_? I knew he was usin' it as a weapon, but the reason is completely ridiculous!” Now he was peeved. That was a complete waste of a peaceful device! “All that time, research, and resources go into buildin' that thing, and a mere child uses it for _that_?! If you’re gonna use such a device as a weapon, then at least use it for good!” He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. His host had a look of complete shock on their face, with a hint of surprise, like they weren't expecting that at all. “W-what…?” They blinked, clearly dumbfounded. Albedo sighed, lowering his hands and relaxing a little. “I ain’t who you think I am. My name’s Albedo, I’m a Galvan-turned-human, thanks to me buildin’ a prototype of the Omnitrix-” He brought his clamped left arm up to show the other what he was talking about, as they had likely never heard the real name for the watch before.

** **

“-in order to make it easier for me to locate and retrieve the first watch, as it technically belongs to me now. My mentor Azmuth, the builder of the Omnitrix, gave me ownership. I have every right to take it back, whether I steal it back or simply ask. It’s mine and I’d very much like it in my possession.” The other sat there for a minute, then shook their head, like they were clearing their thoughts. “‘Aight.” Albedo tilted his head. “... _’Aight_?” His host rolled their eyes. “I believe you. No way in hell Tennyson is smart enough to make up shit like that. I’ve heard of your kind before, little gray dudes with bug eyes super brains, right?” He huffed, not noticing the curse. “In comparison to humans, yeah, we’re highly intelligent. Azmuth is the most intelligent of us and is the smartest being in the universe. He claims he’s only the smartest in _three_ galaxies, but believe he’s bein’ too modest. He’s also a pacifist, as am I.” The other whistled, clearly amazed. “Yeah, definitely not Tennyson. Alberto, right?” “ _Albedo_.” “Right, right. Call me Kevin.” “Alright Kevin. Erm, do you, uh, mind? Please?” He held up his left arm again. “Sure.” Kevin got up from his seat and strided over to remove the clamp, discarding it in a lower cabinet in the kitchen. “What’s up with the badge on your ammo belts?” Kevin motioned to Albedo’s Plumber’s badge. “This? It’s my Plumber’s badge. The Plumbers are an intergalactic police force. I myself am not part of them, but Azmuth is well known among them, so he gave me his badge in case I get into trouble.” “Sweet.” He smiled at that. “Yeah, I guess it is ‘sweet’.” “Yeah, ‘cause I got one of my own.” Kevin searched for his badge in the upper cabinets. The badge he pulled out was broken beyond repair. “Thought it was cool so I took it. Useless though.” Albedo wasn’t surprised about that, to his rather ironic surprise. Kevin _did_ seem like the kind of person who would take something for the sake of it looking cool, he thought. But he felt like he could trust him to a degree, and decided to 'seal the deal', as they said. “Would you like if I checked for Plumber’s technology here?” Kevin’s eyes widened. “Useful crap _here_? In _this_ piece of shit?” Albedo cringed at the swear. He forgot humans were known for being vulgar. “Y-yes. It’s entirely possible. If my hunch is correct, then...” He walked up to a clock that had long since stopped ticking, detached his badge, and held it up to the clock. It popped out with a quiet _SSSssshhh_ , revealing a cylinder-shaped compartment with a holo-device inside. He tilted his head, having expected it to be an empty compartment. Was the whole vehicle stocked? “Why is this here…?” Kevin watched silently, eyes taking everything in, as Albedo plucked the holo-device from its place in the compartment and regarded it curiously. He turned it on and a miniature hologram of the late Magistrate of Earth's Plumbers Max Tennyson appeared. His voice played quietly, “ _This is Max Tennyson speaking, if you found this, then you’re either a raider or a plumber. In the case you’re a plumber, you may or may not know my grandson, Ben. He rules these lands now, but his actions aren't his doing. It’s that damn watch, it’s twisted his views. If you have a way of getting rid of it and bringing my grandson to me_ alive _and in_ one piece _, please, I beg of you, do so and return Ben to me. If you’re Plumber, you’ll know exactly where to find me. If you’re raider, please stay out of this. Max out._ ”

The holo-device switched off. Leaving the two in silence. “...Think we should find him?” Albedo nodded. “Yeah. Magistrate Tennyson will be a great addition to the team-” Kevin snorted. “ _Team_? We’re a team now?” “Well, yeah. If you wanna be.” The other took a minute to think, weighing his options. Then he shrugged, a lax expression on his face. “‘Aight. Tell me what to do, bossman.” And Albedo gave him a face-splitting grin at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> headcanon that I didn't address in the first chapter was that Ben has Tetrachromancy, a thing where you see more colors than the average person, or at least Mad Ben has it, if not Ben Prime.  
> And another headcanon that Albedo has issues with gender distinction and thus refers to everyone he meets as a "they", at least until he gets an idea of what they are.  
> I hope I portrayed our new friend right  
> also Mad Albedo really looks up to his Azmuth. Well, now he looks down, but you get the point.


	4. Day 2: Midday/Noon, Make some allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kevin introduces Albedo to some buddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DESPITE FINALS, I POSTED THE CHAPTER BEFORE 12:00
> 
> IT'S STILL WEDNESDAY
> 
> I'M ON SCHEDULE YEE

The two of them traversed by foot across the post-apocalyptic wasteland, Kevin as the experienced guide and Albedo as the clueless tag along, for once in the latter’s life. Albedo had suggested the creation of a larger team to better achieve their ultimate goal. Supposedly, Kevin had a small group of acquaintances that could assist them somewhere. Albedo thought it was rather suspicious, but then again he guessed the way Max Tennyson's mission was issued was rather odd as well.

After they had been seemingly wandering aimlessly for god knows how long, they came across a run-down building with the words ‘gas station’ faded out. It appeared to be a fuel facility for Earth’s vehicles. All the windows were either smashed, boarded up, or both, and every single way of seeing the inside was covered to ensure no light got inside. Kevin walked up to the door and knocked, the sound of said knock not sounding like a normal knock on the given metallic material, like metal hitting metal, but covered by cloth. Maybe Kevin had his bones replaced? A humanoid rodent-like alien answered, drawing back the blinds and, upon seeing Kevin, began what seemed to be a rather tedious process of unlocking and opening the door. “Ayy, Kev! Who’s that you got there? Kinda looks like...” The alien grabbed the front of his guide’s shirt and yanked him down to eye-level. “ _Who. The. Fuck. Is. That._ Have you LOST YOUR _FUCKIN’ MIND_?!”

Aforementioned alien shoves Kevin back, ready to strike. “YOU’D BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF, LEVIN, RIGHT FUCKIN’ NOW!” Kevin’s expression remained blank. “He’s not Tennyson-” “ _Bullshit_.” “-Came into my RV yappin' about how he got trapped looking exactly like him. Just wants the power watch.” Albedo piped up. “The proper name is the ‘Omnitrix’, and-” Kevin shushed him, and he shrunk back behind him. The smaller alien looked unsure, but ushered the two indoors nonetheless, locking the door behind him and closing the blinds. "'Aight, I trust ya. But if he blows up our base again It's your fault." "Argit, you might wanna...” “Right, right. LISTEN UP EVERYONE,” ‘Argit’ brought his hands up to his mouth and cupped them to amplify his voice. “WE GOT OURSELVES A LOOK ALIKE. I ASSURE YOU HE AIN'T GONNA BE TROUBLE.” A muscular human with their face painted to replicate a simplified skull appeared from nowhere in particular, approached Albedo, looked down at him, and _tch_ ’d. “You sure ‘bout that bro? Could be a trap. Happened before.”

Kevin spoke up. “Nah, look at him, he's completely lost. No way in hell Tennyson's _that good_ at faking it. 'Sides, Tennyson can only go so far with the ‘newbie act’ before he cracks and lets his nutjob warlord side shine through. _This_ guy busts into my RV thinkin’ nothing’s gonna happen to him and plops down on my bed for the night, not alert whatsoever. Didn't even hear me when I tried to wake 'em up at first. No offense, Al.” Kevin side-eyes Albedo. He sighs. “None taken. The truth is the truth.” The skull human raises a brow, putting his hands into his pockets. “So, what’s your name, bro?” Argit pipes up. “Yeah, I never heard no name yet. What fake name you cookin’ up? Kev said Al, so Allan? Albert?” “ _Albedo_. It’s Galvan.” Argit’s ears perked up. “ _Galvan_ ? Like the little gray smart guys?” “Correct." Albedo looked to the human whose name was currently unknown. “I never did get your name, um…?” “Fistrick.” Albedo held out his hand to shake. “Fistrick. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Fistrick looked down at the offered hand and _tch_ ’d again, moving away to the space he occupied before Kevin and Albedo showed up. The latter’s face fell slightly. “Oh.” Argit moved over to shake his hand instead. “He’s got a stick up his ass, forget about him. Total asshole. Know what? I like you already. You seem like a nice guy.” Argit let go of the other’s hand. “Don't let the raiders get ya.” Albedo nodded, smiling. Kevin snorted. “Didn't think you to be the goodie-goodie type.” Argit rolled his eyes. “You know me Kev, I’m the king of cons. Give great advice though.” “Sure.” Albedo looked around, not seeing anyone else around but the four of them. “Who were you yelling to before?” Argit pointed to a hatch on the ground near Fistrick that was open just a crack. “Basement. Fistrick’s gang lets me stay so long as I don’t touch their shit.” “Ah.” Albedo scanned the walls of the gas station. “You lookin’ for more Plumber junk, Al?” “It’s not junk. At least, most of it ain't. I know there’s plenty of bases here on Earth, believe it or not. I just...don’t know the locations of most of ‘em. I do know where a few are, though. There’s one at this place called Mt. Rushmore, or where it should be. Rather important base, that one. I think there’s a huge one near here, in a town, or a former town. Bellwood, I believe.” Kevin just stared. Fistrick looked over from his spot, silent, yet interested. Argit, on the other hand, seemed frantic. “ _Bellwood_ ? Going there is suicide! That’s Tennyson’s domain! You seriously believe there’s a huge base or something in fucking _Bellwood_?” Albedo cringed more than usual at the cussing, not that he hadn’t been cringing slightly before at nearly every instance. “Oh, I’m certain.” He held up his left arm to search the omnitrix prototype for its map function before bringing up a map of nearby Plumber’s bases, underground roads, and a few marked points of interest to the plumbers. The map was a little outdated, so the 'points of interest' were probably pointless. He pointed to a large badge-shaped marker to the far northwest on the map.

“This is the Bellwood base. Kevin, remember the holo-device? With Max?” Kevin shrugged. “Yeah, psycho’s granddad, the guy who’s probably dead already and wants him alive. How could I forget?” Albedo had a determined look on his face. “I think I’ve found him. _And_ a way to contact him to make sure.” The whole time, Argit had been listening, and was rather confused. “Who’s Max? Who the hell are these 'Plumber' guys? Why does this guy want Tennyson _alive_ , of all things?” Albedo tossed Argit the holo-device. “Watch that.” “Ah.” The former selected the base icon on the map, bringing up a communication channel. The channel rang for a bit, then was hung up by the other party. “Welp, looks like nobody-” “They _hung up_ , Kevin.” Albedo tried again. They hung up immediately this time. "This guy clearly doesn't want to be both-" He shushed Kevin and tried again. No luck. "Did you just-" He shushed him again. The fourth time someone answered. “ _What do you want?_ ” “Is this Max Tennyson?” The person on the other side stays quiet for a moment. “ _Can I trust you? How are you contacting me?_ ” “Via prototype Omnitrix. I am Albedo, of the Galvan. I wish to help you get your grandson back.” The other voice seemed to consider for a moment, then he heard some shuffling. Then silence. “ _Call me back in ten minutes. I need to do something real quick_." Max hung up. "What do you think he's doing?" "Likely confirming it's really me." Ten minutes passed, then he called again. Max only hung up twice this time. " _So, Azmuth’s favorite student, then. How will you reach me? Ben’s got Bellwood covered._ ” “Either Ectonurite or Necrofriggian.” “ _Ah, right, your watch. Do you have anyone else?_ ” “Yes, so far just one. Unless another wishes to come along-” Argit shakes his head and Fistrick _tch_ ’d yet again. “-Never mind. Just the one.” “ _So long as you’re not alone. I was worried there for a minute. I would ask you to seek out Rook Blonko, but it seems that Ben’s already recruited him. I bet you could probably convince him, but you’d better not risk it, what with the fact he never leaves Ben’s side. I’ll see you eventually, Max out._ ” With that, Max hung up. Albedo looked up at Kevin. “So we’re really doin’ this shit?” “Yes. If you wish. I certainly will, as it’s rude to leave him thinking I was lying.” “Then we’d better get back.” “Right.” Albedo nodded to Argit. “Nice meeting you.” The latter gave the former the holo-device back. “Likewise. You need anything, I’ll hook you up, ‘aight?” He nodded, smiling. The duo then left the gas station, Argit locking up the door and closing the blinds.

“Nice friends you’re making. You seem to be good at that.”

“Good at making friends?"

"Good at convincing people to not kill you."

"...Oh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has google maps yet it STILL can't tell time.  
> Also, I'm REALLY bad at backgrounds, can you tell?  
> ALSO, first time we actually get a visual representation of Madbedo's watch! He stuck with the circle look. Yayyyyy. I'm not really happy with the look I gave it but I'm not sure what I want it to look like exactly, but it's definitely changing in future chapters.
> 
> ALSOOOOOO, It's time to MERCY the FUCK outta them! Oh wait wrong fandom


	5. Day 3: Not even dawn just darkness, find the guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a few important things happen and Albedo's "favorite" alien is established

Albedo woke when Kevin kicked him in the side rather roughly. Well, rough compared to a gentle nudge. A gentle nudge that was really all it took to wake him up, but it’s not like Kevin knew that, so the kick was excusable. He rose from his spot on the bunk, looking at Kevin through the dark through half-lidded eyes. “C’mon, we gotta find psycho’s grandpa.” His eyes shot open. “Right! Max Tennyson!” Albedo fiddled with his Omnitrix, no longer concerned about why it was still dark out. He paused and looked up at Kevin. “How do you feel about flying?” “Never done it.” Well, it's better than being deathly afraid. “Good enough.” He selected the Necrofriggian. He felt the change in his molecular structure as his body temperature plunged, he felt the changes in his bone structure and organs, but it wasn’t painful. Transformation via Omnitrix was never a painful experience. In under a minute, he was the Kylmyys variation of a Necrofriggian. He exhaled a cold breath, feeling much cooler than before. According to Azmuth, however, he shouldn't feel it at all. It should be instantaneous, the transformation lasting _no longer_ than the blink of an eye. A minute was far too long and could be interrupted with horrible consequences and irreversible genetic damage. This was one of many reasons he wanted the original. His prototype was faulty. _Too_ faulty in his opinion.

“Is it bad I expected you to become some buff tank alien like Tennyson usually becomes?” He looked _down_ at Kevin, with his much taller stature. “ _He doesn't use any tactical aliens? Only ones with brute strength?_ ” “Pretty much.” “ _Then I have the advantage._ ” “I think that because you’re just smarter than he is you already have the advantage.” Albedo let out a ghastly chuckle and grabbed Kevin. “H-hey! What are you-” He then became intangible with Kevin. “-Oh. Never mind.” He hugged the other close to his chest with mild protest from Kevin and flew through the roof of the RV, moving towards the Bellwood base. “You sure they won’t see us?” “ _So long as you do not speak, they will not notice us._ ” “M'kay.”

It was an uncomfortable flight there, to say the least. Kevin only complained of the situation twice, but thankfully nobody found them out. Kevin had also been using the map on Albedo’s badge as the latter's Omnitrix was in use, and they were close. And not a person in sight. Albedo landed at the hidden entrance and phased through, _then_ set Kevin down, changing back. He used the light from the watch to search the area, and found that they were in an elevator. He motioned for Kevin to use the badge on the elevator controls, and after he had done so a second later they heard a loud _CLANK_ , and down they went, faster than intended. _Of course_ the cable had snapped from disuse, or maybe it was done purposely? He dropped to the floor and clung onto the handrail for dear life. Had there been another safer entrance? Was this a trick? Are they even going to li- _SCKRRRRRRRR_

He heard the loud noise of crushing and scraping metal, and whipped his head around to look at Kevin. Kevin was bracing in the middle of the elevator, his good arm having turned into a titanium spire and his other arm having returned and doing the same, while Kevin himself was covered in a titanium alloy. _An Osmosian_. Of course! That explained his metallic hand bones! And _that’s_ where he got the Titanium! Well, it made sense to him at least, considering there was no conceivable way anyone could have gotten their bones replaced on this planet without losing everything in the general area of the bones that were being replaced. Titanium replacement bones were also rather inconceivable to him. It really wasn't the best thing to replace whole bones with.

** **

The elevator cart slowed to a stop, and after taking a minute to breathe, Kevin then retracted the spires slightly so they descended more slowly, yet still relatively quickly, allowing the duo to reach the bottom without getting killed in the process. Albedo took a moment to breathe, then unlatched himself from the handrail, legs shaking slightly. Kevin allowed his body to turn back to its resting state, the titanium replacement limb disappearing with the rest of the covering. "Here," Kevin handed him the badge. "take this thing back. Don't want it. Nearly got us killed." "Sorry." The two were so preoccupied with getting their bearings together that they didn’t catch Max Tennyson aiming a Null Void projector at them. “Talk. Now.”

The duo whipped their heads over to face the 'late' Magistrate of Earth's Plumbers. Albedo was the first to speak, relaxing slightly and clasping his hands with a smile, still shaking slightly. “Magistrate Tennyson! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Max paused, then realization seemed to kick in “...Albedo?” “Yes! And this is Kevin-” He motioned to the other part of the duo. “-the person I mentioned from the com.” Max seemed to weigh his options for a minute, then he slowly lowered the Null Void projector, still remaining alert. Understandable. They did just _drop in_ after all. “Ah, you’re here to help then.” “Yes, sir.” “Please don’t refer to me as ‘sir’. Max is fine.” “S-sorry, Max.” Kevin stepped up. “So you’re psyc- er, _Tennyson's_ granddad?” Max nodded, his expression falling slightly at Kevin's nickname for his grandson. “I assume you got my message then?” Albedo piped up. “Of course!” Max paused for a moment. “...You found the Rustbucket? My RV?” Kevin nodded. “It don’t run though. Everything's there, it just don't run.” Max turned to Albedo. “I know this is a bit sudden, but can you fix it?” He fiddled with the watch for a bit before looking up. “Yes. I think...?” He glanced at Kevin. "'S doable." “Then fix it and bring it here, I’ll be waiting to see if you're actually serious. We’ll figure things out from there.” "Yes, si- er, Max!" Nice. Kevin seemed a little unsure about something as Max walked off to another section of the base.

"Wait, how do we get back up?"

Oh, that was something to worry about, he realized.

 He ran after Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:  
> 1.There's no way in hell a "gentle nudge" would have woken up Albedo  
> 2.Princess Bride is an amazing movie. The reference may have been easier to get if I wasn't using "inconceivable" correctly.  
> 3.Al honey no you're not funny stop  
> 4.AL THE BUILDER (CAN HE FIX IT?) AL THE BUILDER (YES HE CAN!)  
> 


	6. Day 7: Midday, This isn't even my final form

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Al reaches his final form

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah! I'm so sorry! I was going to finish it last night but I ran into problems, it's fine now though! Here you go!

It had taken a few days of scavenging for spare parts, fixing it, figuring out how to actually move the RV undetected, and ‘upgrading’ it but they did it. The RV, now equipped with shatterproof windows, bolted on armor plating, a ram, and various other things, was now, according to Kevin, ‘the perfect raiding vehicle’. Max had initially cringed slightly at the amount of add-ons to the vehicle, but was at least proud that it ran smoothly. According to Max, the engine practically blew up on the spot, which would explain the hole where the engine would have been when they started fixing it, despite Kevin saying everything was there. It was probably a good thing the prototype synced up with the original, otherwise he would have lacked the alien required for jury rigging devices. Of course, the new engine was checked for faults after with his Galvan form since he was too large as a human, and with none found it ran smoother than expected. What had Kevin said? ‘Smoother than silk’? Yes, he believed that was the analogy. At some point he had convinced himself that he wanted Rook Blonko on the team. Albedo believed he could convince him to join them and stop Ben without bloodshed. He was currently waiting in the RV with Kevin, having asked Max if he wanted to come along. “Are you sure you don’t want to go, Max?” He shook his head, a somber expression on his face. “As much as I’d like to see the little family I have left, I’d really hate to see him in his current state. If he sees me, who knows how he’ll react. I want that watch off of him before he can know that I’m still alive and well. For his sake.”

Albedo nodded, if Max didn’t want to reveal his status yet, who was he to disobey?

They hadn’t been on the road for too long before the “Benwood” sign came into view, the deteriorating rubble of the Mr Smoothie a rather calming sight, strangely enough. Albedo had a good feeling about this recruit mission, he didn’t know why, he just did. Kevin flipped on the cloaking device. They approached the heart of Ben’s territory, various raiders and guards not batting an eye as they passed, meaning it was working. Still, he had a good feeling about the mission. Even as they rolled up to the large pit behind some rubble, he had a good feeling. “Kevin, do you feel like going in?” Kevin glanced at his stump, then back to Ben. “As much as I’d like to pound Tennyson to dust, I’ll stay here in the RV. You wanna get yourself killed, you can do it alone.” He nodded, having gotten used to Kevin’s quips, not realizing he was serious this time. “Right.” He selected the Necrofriggian and changed into said alien, becoming intangible then completely invisible. He flew out of the RV in search of Rook, finding the task to not be as easy as he thought it would be. Where was he? After a few minutes or so of searching, he heard a familiar voice. The voice he heard when he first spoke after first becoming a copy of Tennyson.

 _Ben_. He looked to the source of the voice and, low and behold, there was Tennyson ranting on about something he couldn’t exactly hear from this high up, and Rook trailing rather close to him. Dang. Rooks condition also concerned him as well, even Kevin had better stitches. Were his wounds even stitched at all? Now he  _really_ wanted to help Rook. But Tennyson is too close.

This wasn’t going to be easy at all. He thought of swooping down and grabbing him, but that might leave a bad impression. He thought of the possibility of just getting the watch now. Azmuth _did_ remotely program his Galvan voice in for the voice command setting, he just needed to get close enough and stay hidden. It was perfect! Actually, the plan had some flaws, but it was good enough. Better than doing nothing. He swooped down to put his plan into action, but when he landed, the prototype automatically swapped back to the human default. _What_? Why? He didn’t have a timer, why did this happen? This is exactly why he hated prototypes! He froze, trying to find an escape route. He dared a glance at Tennyson who had stopped ranting, and the glance was just in time for Albedo to see a smirk grace his features. “Well well well, whadda we got ‘ere?”

He fiddled with the prototype, but it wouldn’t respond. So he took a few steps backwards instead. Ben took a few striding steps forward in response. “A look alike? Where’d you crawl out from?” Another step back. "Awww, did ya little gizmo stop workin'?" Another  _stride_ forward. "N'aww, how sad." Every step he took, "Pathetic even." the other took a long stride closer, "So very sad _._ " and _closer_. "... _Not._ " Why did he still have a good feeling about the situation? He didn’t notice Ben stride forward again until he felt a slight magnetic pull on his Omnitrix copy. Tennyson noticed the device and reached for the offending wrist with his left arm, the one that held the original device. Next thing they knew, the two Omnitrixes were pulled together like a pair of rather strong magnets. “What the fuck? What did you do asshole!? Did you fuck mine up too?!” Albedo was frantic. “I didn’t do anything! You’re the one that reached for mine!” A second later, orange sparks appeared from the Omnitrixes and Albedo felt an odd change, like when he was transforming but he remained human.

Then the two of them were able to pull the devices away. Albedo quickly noted the color shift in his prototype. The now-cerulean Omnitrix wasn’t the only thing that shifted color, he noticed. His clothes experienced a color shift and his skin was noticeably paler than before, now lacking the tan Ben had, and he was so pale he could almost see his _veins_ . The stray strands of hair that weren't slicked back were a bluish-white, but he supposed any old person would see plain grayish-white. He assumed his eyes also shifted to cerulean as well. Whatever happened had _damaged his form_.

He noticed Ben staring, a confused expression on the teenage warlord’s face. “What the actual fuck happened?” “N-not sure...” He noticed that his Omnitrix was working again and took the chance immediately, changing into the Necrofriggian and quickly going invisible. “Oi! Wait the fuck up! You got some ‘splainin’ to do, asshole!” No he didn’t, he just needed to leave. He quickly found the RV and sat in the passenger side, becoming visible but still intangible. “ _Drive._ ” “‘Aight.” Kevin slammed on the gas and drove out of there as quickly as he could. “You didn’t get him?” Albedo became tangible again. “ _No._ ” “Dude, your colors-” “ _Yes, I noticed._ ” His Necrofriggian form was damaged as well, instead of the deep blue, he was now a kind of light brown that honestly fit in rather well with post-apocalyptic Earth. He changed back. “Al?” “I know.” They sat in silence the whole time. He felt like Kevin just knew he’d fail. He’s still not sure what that feeling was about, but he does know that he’s not doing that again anytime soon.

Well, at least nobody would mistake him for Ben now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW THAT ALBEDO'S PALLET IS CORRECT SHIT CAN FINALLY GO DOWN


	7. Day 8: Morning, oh boy new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> : )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to stick to canon personality-wise, but not every character is canon, let's just get that straight right now.  
> Going strictly canon cast-wise would cripple me story-wise ahaha  
> Also Madbeado is rather squeamish and used to nice clean spaces and people who won't stab you for looking at them funny so people looking for friendship is v good. That's what happens when you don't join the antagonist side my friends. You become a clueless nerd who makes friends with weirdos. Enjoy.

His change in appearance prompted Azmuth to visit yesterday, much to Albedo’s surprise. His mentor told him off for running in without considering all of the possible negative outcomes. But then again, nobody could’ve expected the color shift. After checking a few of his aliens, Azmuth had concluded that the ‘damage’ to the Omnitrix adapted most of the aliens’ forms to the current environment, which wasn’t a bad thing at all, considering the Ectonurite and several others were actually an option now. Azmuth left without incident after talking with Max first, but not without scolding Albedo a second time for asking for certain materials.

Albedo and Kevin now sat at a table in the mess hall that of which was closest to the kitchen, Max taking the liberty of making breakfast. The smell coming from the kitchen was...interesting, to say the least. What _was_ that? “So. You really were telling the truth.” He looked at Kevin like he sprouted a second head. “Of course I was. What, were you just going along with it?” Kevin shrugged. “Had my doubts. If you were lying I would’ve ditched you or something. I let you stay ‘cause I was curious.” He nodded to himself. “I also figured you’d fuck up or something. Just wanted to see what would happen if you actually succeeded and got _scarface_ , of all people, to listen to you. Didn't always have those scars you know. Fucker’s too loyal nowadays outta fear. Rebelled once, got his ass beat to hell. Now he kicks ass when he’s told, kills when he’s told, _eats_ when he’s told, probably don’t sleep without permission either. An actual fucking dog, cept his kind lean more toward the ‘feline’ generic. He’d probably bark if psy- er, _Tennyson_ told him to, though.” Oh. Max appeared from the kitchen with a gallon jug of water, three cups, and...something. He couldn’t exactly see it, but he could certainly smell it without a doubt. When Max placed the platter of sizzling, steaming food down on the table, along with a few trays, Albedo was somewhat relieved to find that the meal was some kind of eggs and what he believed was called bacon. However, he didn’t know why, but he instinctively expected them to be made out of insane, unappetizing ingredients. Maybe Max cooked strange things for Ben? “Alright, Pyroxivor bacon and, ah, _chicken_ eggs.” Kevin raised a brow. “What kinda refrigeration you got back there?” “I didn’t say Earth chickens, now did I?” “Oh. Well, food’s food.” Max decided to sit next to Albedo, apparently more comfortable in the presence of a student as opposed to, well, some raider. As of now, the elephant in the room was rather apparent, and for once it wasn’t himself. Kevin also appeared to take note of the odd air around them, but didn’t say anything and simply shrugged it off, like this has happened before. They ate in silence.

After breakfast, Max decided to show them around the facility, or at least whatever wasn’t locked off or clearly marked for ‘level four or higher personnel only’. Obviously there were things not meant for the public eye. Max really seemed insistent on introducing them to someone, but as they reached the hall that lead to the room this supposed person had claimed, well, it was...um...nicely decorated…? The smell of blood, wall paint, spray paint, and sharpies hit his nose like a freight train, and he nearly vomited. Humans have a weak gag reflex. But then again, that was a pretty strong combo. Max seemed thoughtful for a moment, then realization hit him. “You, ah, get used to it after a while. Sorry.” The walls were coated with paints and sharpie marks in a colorful display, with the occasional smiley-face thrown about. ‘HaHAhahA’ and variations of it were scattered about the walls, with the occasional blood splatter here and there near the floor. It was almost as if someone had vomited...blood...? Could humans do that...? Was it  _okay_ for humans to do that? 

“You may want to get used to all this real quick Albedo, Andreas doesn't like it when people ask things he can’t answer.” “L-like the blood?” “Well, he can answer _that_ , he just doesn't like to.” Max walked up to a door and knocked. No answer. “Boys?” Silence. Max simply opened the door and walked in. Albedo nearly cried out in distress. The former sleeping quarters for the plumber officers was completely trashed, paint and blood everywhere, with seemingly random sharpie conversations dotting the walls, the bunk frames were all shoved to the farthest right corner of the room, and all the mattresses, blankets, and pillows were in two giant piles, one of bedding and one of mattresses, the mattress pile covered in dried blood and the other with splotches of spray paint. There was a concerning amount of bloodied sewing equipment in one of the corners on the left. “Who lives here…?” Max sighed. “A pair of twins. Well, they look similar, they’re just different ages. They’re here because I let them in. Their father ran a family-owned circus back in the day. Horrus was a pretty great clown, didn’t scare the kiddies despite his size, always knelt down to their height to talk to them, didn’t get in people’s faces like most clowns did, and he was overall just a great person. He...didn’t deserve to die...Ben really didn’t like clowns did he...” Kevin piped up. “Your grandson did a lot of things, cost me my arm.” A pause. Kevin seemed to realize the issue here. “But, I mean, that’s nothing compared to that guy’s life...” Max nodded. “Yes...let’s stop this conversation here. You seem a little queasy, there...” Albedo nodded in agreement, face a little on the green side. The smell of aerosol was getting to him, and he never did like talking or hearing about graphic things. Even seeing it was also an issue, apparently. Everyone he’s met so far seemed so...desensitized. Once again, he was the odd one out. Max ushered him out of the room and into the mess hall again, the fading smell of Max’s cooking a welcome change as opposed to sharpie and aerosol. He wondered if there were still leftovers...oh. “Was someone here, Max?” “Yeah, like I said, the twins. Looks like we just missed ‘em.” He walked over to the platter, which now contained nothing but a napkin with ‘thanks g’pa max!!’ and two little smiley faces drawn on it in purple marker. It was kind of adorable. The second he realized what the usual age that people in general did cute things like that was, he nearly lost it.

 _Children_ did things like that. _Little_ children! He was about to vomit. “Albedo? What’s-” Max saw the note and sighed. “They’re in their teens, it’s nothing to worry about. It’s just one of their many quirks.” The former visibly calmed down significantly, and Kevin eyed the note. “‘G’pa Max’?” “Y-yeah, the younger one started calling me that after...it was his way of coping, and it sort of just stuck. They’re practically family at this point, and I don’t mind.” Albedo was still a little on edge. “Just how young is the youngest?” “Fifteen, a year or two younger than Ben, and his brother’s seventeen, about his age. They’re just kids, but they can manage pretty well.” “Oh.” That made him feel better about the whole thing. Kind of. “Now, the twins probably know you’re here, and if they’re not in their room, they’re up in the rafters, observing you guys.” Kevin looked out towards the main hall. “Really? What a bunch of creeps.” “Well, they’re just being cautious. They've never met you, so they want to get an idea of what’s okay to say and what will get them stabbed or shot at.” As if on cue, a slip of paper landed on the ground in the main hall. “Um, should I...?” “Go ahead.” He plodded over, picking up the slip of paper. On the slip was ‘WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE’ and an ‘angry face’ hastily drawn on it in red marker, along with ‘LEAVE MONSTER’ and ‘FUCK OFF’ scribbled on it in various places. They seemed to believe he was Ben, obviously. He could feel the hate in waves coming off of just the paper alone, and it kind of scared him. He looked up and, just barely, he saw someone shifting. Another paper fell slowly. He waited for it, plucking it from its descent after it got close enough. ‘is it the monster a???’ and ‘i dunno g he looks scared’ were scribbled on it in the same red marker, along with question marks scattered about the slip. “I’m not who you think I am.” He called out in their direction. “I’m really not, I swear.” Some movement was visible up in the rafters, in fact, it almost looked like someone was looking down at him. He looked right back up at them. He could faintly see the person drop another piece of paper. He held his hand out and let it fall into his grasp. ‘u r him but blue n quiet n nice i hope??’ was written in red marker and in purple marker was ‘i have a ?’ and ‘if u were green would u die’, various smileys were drawn in both colors around the slip of paper. If he was- _what_? He could hear faint laughing coming from above. Oh, they were joking. He’d be laughing too if he knew what the joke meant. “Are you going to come down?” The next slip said ‘no and u r ok but ur friend isnt’ in purple marker and ‘i think u r coolio’ in red with two smiley faces, one in purple and one in red. He saw writing bleeding through the back and flipped the slip over, this time in _blue_ marker, reading ‘watch out!’. He looked up and saw the figure drop something that definitely wasn’t a slip of paper, but caught it anyway. A blue marker? On the marker, ‘friend’ was written over the company’s logo in purple sharpie. “Hey Albedo, how’s it going with the twins?” Max appeared from the doorway. “I’m not really sure. Um, who’s who?” “Well, purple marker means it’s the younger one, and red means it’s Andreas.” “Why don’t you ever say the youngest’s name?” “He says I say it wrong, so he wants to be the one who tells people his name because otherwise, according to him, they’ll all say it wrong, too.” “Oh. Well, I guess if someone kept saying mine wrong all the time, I wouldn’t want them to tell people my name, either.” A slip of paper fluttered in front of his face, so he grabbed it. On it, in purple marker, was ‘!!! finally someone gets it!!!’ and a purple open-mouthed smiley, with several ‘yay!’s scattered about. Okay, this ‘g’ was adorable. Seriously. “Are you sure you don’t want to come down?” “He’s probably going to say no.” And with that, Max joined Kevin in the mess hall again. He wondered if he should try to continue the conversation he had going.

“No, but I’ll let you hear my voice, if that makes you feel any better. Heheh. Bye for now, friendo.”

“Okay.”

Wait, was that g!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...also, an antagonist being described by someone other than said antagonist! ooooo!  
>  bonus points to whoever can guess who Horrus, Andreas and "G" are based off of this early in the story.  
> also, at least the twins don't paint the floors


	8. Day 8: Midday, more friends...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is just a friend kind of day, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the Ectonurite picture was originally in the previous chapter, but I decided to save it for when the form was actually used.  
> once again I was late...I was busy this weekend, kay?  
> I'll try to not let it happen again, but no promises

Voices came from the twins’ hall, mostly laughter and loud one-sided chatting. Max said it was best to let them be. If they wanted to be seen, they’d mess around in the main hall. Kevin thought it was stupid that they didn’t do anything. Albedo was perfectly fine with them not doing anything. They weren’t hurting anyone, so they were fine. It was likely that the only reason they weren’t messing around before was because of newcomers. It was a logical response to hide from potential danger. He just wondered what they were doing when the Rustbucket was being fixed. Maybe they didn’t bother them because the twins recognized the three of them were busy?

Max showed them a second hall that lead to yet another room for Plumber officials to sleep, this one having a commons attached. “The twins’ room is also attached to the commons, they just have the door covered in paint in their room.” “Oh.” Albedo quickly took note of the door with purple and red smiley faces on it. Why couldn’t everything be this adorable? He sat down on one of the couches on a spot that wasn’t covered in dried blood. He immediately remembered the blood vomit that supposedly belonged to Andreas, and nearly gagged. Maybe they were only childish so they wouldn’t go nuts?

The power suddenly shut off, leaving them in the dark. “W-what-” “A defensive maneuver to prevent us from getting discovered. When someone comes within ten feet of any part of the facility, the main power shuts off and stays off until they’re out of range, then it turns back on in about five minutes after that. The generators that power anything important stay on, though. It’s just that everything on at once causes a lot of noise when you get close enough, and that’s not very good. Set everything up myself to keep any residents safe. Now that the ah, the elevator is broken, the ‘main’ entrance is going to stay locked until I get it back up and running again. Which won’t be for a while. Even if they had a badge, they needed someone to open the hatch from the inside. Probably the most secure base on Earth right now.” He nodded, but then paused. “Wait, so someone’s too close to the facility?” “Yeah, Ben’s people like to roam around to stop any resistance. Wouldn’t have to block the windows on our things otherwise, now would we?” Kevin nodded in agreement. “Yeah.” “Wait, did we set it off too?” “Of course, why did you think the base was so dark at first?” “Oh.” Kevin seemed displeased. “...It’s been like fifteen minutes.” Max sighed. “It’s a large facility.” “...I think they’re idle. No way his squads move that slow.” “Would you like to go check?” “Not particularly. Yo Al, go check the surface.” Albedo sighed. “Okay...” He dialed in the Ectonurite, transforming more swiftly than he used to. He half-felt the molecular change this time. This was all thanks to the upgrades he made to his current prototype. Despite Azmuth getting angry at him for asking, he still provided some materials, but only some. He even successfully convinced him to give him the ultimatrix upgrade piece. Now, normally Ectonurites would burn up in these conditions, but this one had been adapted to strive in blazing heat and bright sunlight, despite having exposed arms and tears in the protective ‘fabric’ of the skin cloak. Even the smallest shadow gave him all the strength he needed, and the pitch black facility made him feel like a To’kustar.

He phased through the facility walls to the surface, poking his head out of the ground, invisible to the eye. He looked around and spotted a group of teenage alien hybrids, all appearing to be half-human. They were just kids. Like the twins. Children. He moved closer to hear what they were saying. “...We really should’ve went with Kevin.” The part Pyronite one was fearful, he could smell it in the air. Wait, was that an adaptation? Smelling how one is feeling? “Asshole kicked us out, remember? We don’t need that fucking jerk-!” “Manny! Please don’t cuss!” The part Kineceleran one was trying to calm down someone named Manny, who was part Tetramand. One smelt of fear and anxiety, and the other smelt of anger and fear. They were all scared one way or another. There was a fourth, but he was silent the whole time. He appeared to be part- whatever Argit’s species was. He knew it, it was just on the tip of his tongue. What was it? Well, whatever the species was, the guy reeked of regret and sadness. They seemed to be idle, so he went to report to Max. “ _ I t ’ s  m e . _ ” “Hello Me, I’m Max.” He just stared blankly. With his many eyes. He had quite a few of those. “...Sorry. What did you find?” “ _ F o u r  c h i l -  k i -  t e e n a g e r s .  T h e y  s e e m  t o  k n o w  K e v i n .  T h e y  a l l  a p p e a r e d  t o  b e  p a r t  h u m a n ,  p a r t  a n o t h e r  s p e c i e s .  P y r o n i t e ,  K i n e c e l e r a n ,  T e t r a m a n d . . . s o m e t h i n g - o r - o t h e r  s p e c i e s . _ ” Kevin faced Albedo. “I know ‘em. Left ‘em though. Dead weight. Ain’t gonna hurt nobody to let ‘em in, though. Too nice.” “Go talk to them, see if they need help.” “ _ R i g h t  _ .” He went back up, two of them were fighting now while the Kineceleran was failing at breaking them up. He floated right over and separated them. The two of them practically turned white.

“ _ D o  n o t  b e  a f r a i d .  I  a m  n o t  h e r e  t o  h a r m  y o u . _ ” After a minute of no response, the Kineceleran stepped forward. “Who are you?” “ _ A l b e d o . _ ” “...Helen.” She hesitantly held up her hand to shake. He shook it.

“Afraid?! I ain’t scared of no ghost, freak!” ‘Manny’ was trying to hide his fear, and would have succeeded if he couldn’t smell it. “ _ I  c a n  l i t e r a l l y  s m e l l  y o u r  f e a r .  I  c a n  s m e l l  y o u r  f e e l i n g s . _ ” Manny huffed angrily. “Whatever, creep...” “Manny!” Helen scolded him. “N-no offense dude, but you kinda give me the creeps...” The pyronite stunk of fear. “ _ I  k i n d  o f  c r e e p  m y s e l f  o u t  t o o . _ ” “O-oh.” “ _ S o ,  w h a t ‘ s  y o u r  n a m e ? _ ” “Alan...” He nodded. Sort of. It was weird when the mass of tentacles and eyes under the ‘cloak’ kept shifting around whenever he moved. Some even hung out of the bottom and flowed. He was practically fear itself. He was scared to find out what the claws did, aside from tear things to shreds. He just knew they did  _ something,  _ he could feel it. The form scared him, but the DNA didn’t belong to some random Ectonurite anymore, the adapted Omnitrix changed it to make it its own unique sample, completely unrecognizable by the donor. There was no chance of this backfiring as it might with the original, so maybe it was better in some sense. “So why are you here?” Helen’s question snapped him out of his thoughts. “ _ I  l i v e  h e r e .  W h y  a r e  y o u  h e r e ? _ ” “Oh...Well, we-” “None of your business.” His eyes focused on the fourth member of the group, the...uh...erm...the- the spiny guy. Yeah. Him. Sure. “ _ Y o u ‘ r e  k i n d  o f  a b o v e  m y  d w e l l i n g .  I t  w o u l d  g i v e  m e  a  p i e c e  o f  m i n d  t o  k n o w  t h e  t r e s s p a s s e r s  a r e  n o t  p l a n n i n g  a n y t h i n g . _ ” He stared the other down with his many eyes. The other stared back at his main eye. “Fine, we’ll leave.” “ _. . . A n d  t o  t h i n k  I  w a s  g o i n g  t o  l e t  y o u  s t a y . _ ” The other three seemed to perk up. “R-really? You mean it?” Alan seemed elated. Helen seemed hopeful. Manny was listening. “...He’s bluffing. He literally just met us. Remember what happened last time?” “ _ I  k n o w  s o m e o n e  w h o  k n o w s  a l l  o f  y o u . _ ” “I need a name.” “ _ K e v i n .  I f  t h a t  i s n ‘ t  g o o d  e n o u g h ,  w e  h a v e  a  l o t  f o o d  a n d  p l e n t y  o f  s p a c e . _ ” “Wait, Kevin wants us back?” Now Manny seemed agitated. “ _ I  s a w  y o u  a n d  h e  s a i d  y o u  w e r e n ‘ t  t h r e a t s . _ ” Helen seemed to be getting annoyed. “Fine, take me to your place and let me see for myself.” “C-can I go too?” “ _ O f  c o u r s e . _ ” He stood between the two of them and grasped their shoulders, then he went intangible and descended down to where Max and Kevin were. Now Kevin had a flashlight and the twins’ door was open just a crack, shiny eyes looking out every so often and heads of poofy hair, blacker than a black hole, could be seen whenever a flashlight shined over the door. Max walked out of their room, leaving the door as it was before he left the room, likely having been comforting them. Alan’s partial Pyronite aspect essentially made him a nightlight, adding a nice ambiance to the room, but also making Albedo’s Ectonurite form all the more horrifying to look at. Kevin nodded his head towards the newcomers. “I’d recognize them anywhere, you’re good. Peirce give you crap?” He assumed that Peirce was the spiny one. “ _ Y e s . _ ” “‘Course he did. Get the others.” “Wait, just like that?” Alan stunk of skepticism. “Yeah, pretty much.” 

Albedo surfaced and grabbed the other two, despite their protests. After bringing them down, he changed back. In about five minutes, like Max said, the facility powered back on. “Finally!” ‘g’ yelled out before slamming the door to his room, making Alan jump. Was he normally this jumpy? “Dude, chill.” Kevin was attempting to calm him down. “Y-yeah, right right, sorry...” His burning coal-like body gave way into a more human-looking form, with dark skin and a buzz-cut. Albedo was the one to jump this time. 

He wondered if there were more people like this…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love dad jokes omfg


	9. Day 9: Midday, Face reveals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> : )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here come dat boi  
> oh shit whaddup
> 
> Also guess who posted on time  
> DIS BITCH
> 
> also face paint is wonderful

After another facility tour, he had decided to strike up the question of joining the team. He told them about what they were going to be doing before wanting an answer, of course. Helen and Alan were glad to help, Manny was hesitant but agreed. Peirce didn’t give an answer, he only told Albedo he’d get himself killed. He told him he’s been hearing that quite a bit lately. Peirce only glared. Had he said something wrong? Well, he had three more teammates now, so that was good. Now they had six total. He asked Max if the twins might want to join. Max said they probably would, but he’d have to ask just in case. Off to their room he went. The second he was about to knock, the door immediately opened and someone yanked him inside, the door closing behind him.

In front of him stood a tall adolescent, paler than an Ectonurite and big poofy hair blacker than a black hole, with deep indigo eyes, and no less than a friendly smile plastered on their face.

“Hey Blue, what’s new?” “G?” “Yup yup, it’s ya boi Garreth. That’s my name, don’t wear it out or say it funny, yeah?” He realized he was staring. “Y-yeah...” “What? Never seen a human with a natural complexion so perfectly pale? Or hair such a deep dark black? Or eyes a pretty purple hue? ‘Course you haven’t, buddy. You ain’t from here. That’s coolio, though, I don’t judge.” “O-okay. Where’s Andreas, if I may?” Garreth stuck his thumb in the direction of a door. “Painting. Wanna go see?” He nodded. “Sure.” Garreth practically bounced over to the other room while Albedo ambled close behind. The former opened the door to reveal not another room, but a large walk-in closet. It was so large you could easily alter it to accommodate more sleeping space if needed. He noticed the walls covered in paint sketches and actual paintings, and low and behold, Andreas was quietly finger painting on the wall to the right of the door. He was pretty good at finger painting, from what he could observe so far. From behind, the two looked exactly alike. “Yo A, Al’s here.”

 

Andreas paused, slowly lowered his hands, closed his paints, wiped off his hands, and stood up. Then he turned around, and attempted a half-hearted grin. The twins looked exactly alike, save for Andreas’ mouth and his piercing violet eyes. Was that...a zipper...? Andreas waved, making no sound whatsoever while doing so. Was he able to talk...? “A has a bit of trouble with talking, but he knows ASL, so it’s all cool.” Oh. Wait, what? “ASL...?” “American Sign Language, bruh.” He only nodded, not a clue is the world what ‘American Sign Language’ was. He assumed it was a way of speaking through hand signs, and added it to the growing mental list of things he needed to ask Max about. He heard finger snapping, like someone was trying to get his attention. He turned to Andreas, and Andreas pointed to a sentence he wrote on the wall, saying _‘You don’t know ASL, do you?’_ . He shook his head no. Andreas wrote another sentence, _‘That’s k, I’ll teach you at some point buddy’_ . Albedo smiled at the older twin’s offer. “Got any good weapons?” Garreth’s question caught him slightly off-guard. “W-well, um, I’ve got my Omnitrix...” Technically it wasn’t a weapon, but still. “No, I mean in case that thing fails.” “Not really...I’m sort of a pacifist.” Garreth laughed. “So is A, but if he really has to, he can kill in defense.” Andreas nodded, then searched the room for a handle, pulled it, and popped open a hidden compartment full of oddball weapons. Garreth pointed out a bunch of harnesses and belts. “This belt holds my ‘nades. They’re medium explosives with circus-grade mini smoke bombs and random bits of shrapnel, so I can cut people up and stop them from seein’ us get out. The other belt holds my Clubs. They’re covered in nails and bits of sharp shrapnel, for an extra kick. My harnesses hold my chainsaws. Dad used to juggle chainsaws back in the day, and they’re still in good condition, so yeah. There’s my stock.” He marveled at Garreth’s weapons, but then heard a noise, like someone was putting on one of the harnesses. He also noted that there was an empty weapon slot. He turned to Andreas to see him holding- no, _wielding_ a pair of the largest pickaxes he’s ever seen. To show off, he even spun them in his hands like parade batons, as if they weren’t heavy at all, but clearly the dense metal and strong wood of the handles said otherwise. “Oh yeah, A’s got himself some picks, they’ve got metal bars in the handles too, the wood is just for comfort and doesn’t get too hot or too cold, but those things would totally smash your fucking head open if you got in the way.” Andreas shot his twin a look. Garreth shrugged it off and grabbed his own weapons. “Think it’s ‘bout time we meet our new basemates, A? If we hide whenever someone new shows up, we’ll never show our faces.” Andreas nodded, sliding his pickaxes across his harnesses, finding where they connected to them with a soft click. Garreth hooked his arm with Albedo’s and dragged him along outside of the room, Andreas following along quietly. Like a ghost. But he was alive, he heard the breathing behind him start up. Like Andreas knew he was anxious and wanted to accommodate him. What a nice friend.

Max was surprised to find the twins outside of their room, but was happy with their choice to introduce themselves. Everyone seemed to be getting along well enough. Even Pierce gave in and lightened up a bit. “Oh, um, Garreth?” The aforementioned boy turned to face Albedo from where he was. “Yeah, blue?” “Do you want to help us?” Garreth took a second to think. “Sure, what the hell. Our lives are just gonna get shittier if we don’t do anything, ya know?”

So it was settled then. A team of nine total. 

Well, for now, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the appearances of Garreth and Andreas don't seem familiar whatsoever, then you're very very lucky my friend.  
> Also Garreth is pronounced Gare-ith. Gare rhyming with Care.  
> Garreth only gets pissy because Max pronounces it with a long A sound. ye.  
> Also do not worry these children are naturally pale they're not horribly injured(sans Andreas but we'll get to that later)  
> fun fact: the twins' hair color is the darkest shade of black I'm ever going to use, the RGB value being 5,5,5, while the black on everyone else is RGB 12,12,12. It's not easy to tell the difference because I use a transparent layer to make everything look slightly darker inside of buildings.


	10. Day 10: Morning, A change in perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *cue transformers G1 perspective swap tune*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No illustrations this time, sorry...maybe they'll appear at a later date?

Albedo’s nose twitched. He wanted to sneeze. He was too tired to, though. 

There it was again.  _ Hey! Quit that! _ Whoever was messing with his nose was persistent. 

Okay. What the heck. He cracked open an eyelid to see who was trying to get him to sneeze. He saw indigo eyes, pale skin, and black hair. Garreth. He yawned and rubbed at his nose, getting rid of the need to sneeze. He fully opened his eyes, taking note of the rather, erm,  _ odd _ position that his friend was in. Garreth was poised over his hips in a squatting position, arms resting over his knees, staring down at him. He also lacked shoes, Albedo figuring that would dirty up the bed he had semi-claimed. In his hand he held a tiny feather. He coughed, slightly embarrassed at their current predicament. Garreth, however, was completely unfazed, and simply grinned. “Mornin’ sunshine. Sleep well?” “Y-yeah...um...c-could you...ah...” He hoped the other would get the hint. “Could I what?” Right off his head. He’s kidding, right? “Um, get off of me, please?” “Oh, sure.” He hopped off of the bed. Well, more like slid off, but still. Garreth stared at him expectantly. Albedo slipped out of bed on the other side, slipping on his own shoes and practically squeaked when the other began to drag him to the mess hall, a giant grin plastered on the boy’s face. He had the strangest friends. 

In the mess hall, everyone else sans Max and Andreas was sitting at the table closest to the kitchen, the four newcomers sitting at the opposite end of the table, away from Kevin. The older twin was instead waiting inside the giant room, leaning against the wall and close to the door, then tailing behind them as the duo walked in. In fact, Albedo would have missed him entirely if he hadn’t sighed and made his presence known. He didn’t seem to be the type to drag people around. He also took note that Andreas, the supposed pacifist, had his picks with him, while Garreth did not. Maybe he also had serious trust issues? Was he uncomfortable with Albedo? Andreas moved to the front of the trio and sat down at the end of the table facing away from the kitchen, slightly tense, and his twin quickly sat next to him, and the former visibly relaxed. The elder cracked his neck, then his knuckles, and yawned. The former Galvin sat next to Kevin, who was facing the kitchen this time. “You guys are weird.” Well, that was rather blunt. The elder twin shrugged and the younger snorted. “So are you, it’s all in the eye of the beholder, friendo.” “No, really, you guys are seriously odd. Who the hell marks a whole hallway with smiley faces and laughter? No sane person, that’s for damn sure.” “Well, we were raised in a circus. Seriously. Dad’s a ringmaster. Kingsman Family Circus.” He showed off his shirt. Oh, right, that’s how he got the chainsaws. It would also explain the other weapons, too. But what about the Andreas? Where did the picks even come from? Kevin and Garreth seemed to be chatting with each other, so he let them be. The other four were also having quiet conversations as well, which just left him and Andreas. The elder twin was staring at him, and he was at loss for what to do. He was rather intimidating, with piercing violet eyes, as opposed to Garreth’s deep indigo ones. He almost felt like he was being interrogated or something, and it kind of scared him. In the brighter lights of the mess hall, he noticed a few key differences. One thing that he’s already established was the eyes, they seemed so similar before. Another was his skin, it was even paler than his brother’s. And something he completely missed was the rather obvious scars all around his mouth and neck. Wait, wouldn’t scars from the zipper show? There’s no way he was born naturally with that in his mouth. Didn’t it hurt to get that put in? There’s so many things he wanted to ask, but Andreas supposedly couldn’t speak. Why not? He surely wasn’t mute, or he wouldn’t hear his voice when he sighed. Before he could think more of the subject, Max came out of the kitchen, this time with a plate of jerky and a bunch of little...frittatas? Was that what they were? They looked egg-based, so they were probably frittatas. 

They tasted wonderful.

\----------

He let out a sigh from his spot on his throne. Bored. So bored. When he got bored, Blonko got antsy. Tch. Fucker needed to chill, thinkin’ he’d lash out or somethin’. He only lashed out when he was fuckin’ pissed. But then again, he kinda did have a severe case of Resting Bitch Face, and it got worse at random. “Calm ya tits.” He heard his right-hand-man let out a breath he was probably holding in. Fuckin’ figures. Been like this ever since he put him in his place. He always had a far-away look in his eyes, like he was thinkin’ ‘bout somethin’, but always heard what Ben told him. Selective hearing probably. Tch. 

“...C’mere.” Blonko obeyed. He grabbed the other’s face and checked the damage he did to him. He seemed to be healing fine, no infections. He didn’t try to jerk his head away anymore, now that he realized Ben would hurt him like this. What? He wanted to make a statement, not kill him. Jeez. ‘Sides, infection was a rather half-assed way to kill people off. He also happened to like his right-hand-man. People on his side who weren’t afraid to give their own opinion or people who even had their own opinion at all were pretty hard to find. He’s sorta like his voice of reason and a filter for his actions. He’d probably commit mass homicide if Blonko never spoke up for anything. He let go of Blonko’s face and shoved him in the direction of his post, his eyes following the furry blue alien as he swiftly made it back to his spot next to Ben’s throne. Then he yawned. He was never really a morning person. Rations were low, so he didn’t eat much for breakfast. He’d have to organize a raid soon. Maybe he’d kill off just a couple workers, he didn’t need  _ that _ many. ‘Sides, he was just wasting food on them. They weren’t as important as he was. He yawned again. He glanced at Blonko, wondering if he should just take a nap. Ben deemed it safe enough to nap with his right-hand-man nearby. As he drifted off, he didn’t notice the look of relief of the other’s face.

\---

When he woke up, it was midday. Fuck. He sat up and looked for Blonko, only to find him sitting in front of his throne, facing the door, and his gun in his lap. Obviously, he got tired of standing. He wasn’t in a bad enough mood to yell at him, and simply let him be. He didn’t like standing, either. Guy actually wasn’t even that much older than him, and adults were really the only ones who could stand for a god-awful amount of time, so that further proved it for him. Which brings us to his next point. He lit a teenager on fire. He lit an actual fucking teenager on fire. Blonko had burn scars on his face and running up and along his chest and back. Ben also stabbed his eye out and burned every scar and cut he made shut. He’s probably got some form of pyrophobia now. Meh. Fucker deserved it. No one imprisons him and gets away unscathed. No one. Not even Blonko. He had to admit, it kind of hurt when he went against him. He actually thought the asshole was his friend, but no. He was another pawn who didn’t know his fucking place. He hoped Reiny wouldn’t do the same. Now that Blonko knew what he’d do if he fucking had the audacity to rebel again, he didn’t dare go against him. 

They used to talk. A lot. They talked about lots of things before Ben fucking Prime appeared. He was happy...ish. Well, happy enough. He could never have nice things, because someone  _ always _ had to come ruin it for him. It didn’t matter what it was, someone was always out to ruin his fucking life. Ugh. After the incident, the silence that continued to follow the two of them was suffocating. He hated it. 

Then some fucking guy that looked just like him appeared and became albino. Seriously, what the fuck? He thought that surely,  _ surely _ Blonko would definitely have something to say about it, right? No. Whenever he brought up the subject, he looked uncomfortable and only ever said about four or five words max when he answered. He always kicked his ass around, what was so different? He’d better get comfortable again soon, or Ben was going to lose his fucking shit. Blonko was just close enough for him to use his shoulders as a footrest if he slouched a bit in his throne, so he did just that, scoffing at how he flinched. 

He never used to do that. 

Stupid piece of shit.


	11. A very important update

For a while now, my computer has been having virus issues and that has been pushing me away from using it at all, even after fixing the issue. I finally turn it back on and find out a scamware thing wormed its way into my PC while it was in sleep mode for 3 months and it seriously pissed me off because I really wanted to draw digitally and now I can't and that's an issue for this fic.

I may end up drawing sketches on paper and taking pictures to put them in the fic. So that's a problem.

And that's why I've been on hiatus for everything. Because my computer fucked itself over.


	12. Day 10 - evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi POV swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi oh boi guess who finished a chapter  
> sorry for no pictures I swear I'll add them in later

A cold breath was exhaled into the night air.

“ _What a lovely night._ ”

Cold, unforgiving void black talons sifted through the sand, searching for something, anything.

Said talons picked out a small shard of metal from a shattered sword. They brought it up to a mouth with teeth like a sifter, and it was consumed with barely a second thought. More was found from the sword. Twenty-four pieces in total. All consumed and turned into molten metal within their stomach. They would have to collect more before the nest would be ready.

They turned to the scent of heated metal and faint battery acid. Their neighbor and his motorbike.

“ _Evening, neighbor. Lovely night, isn’t it?_ ”

Their neighbor scoffed through his gas mask. “You kidding? It’s fucking freezing, you ass.”

A ghastly chuckle sounded throughout the barren wasteland that was Earth. They breathed out something akin to the temperature of liquid helium, but far colder. They saw the rolling of his eyes through his visor and glasses. For once, they grinned. They were promptly ‘flipped off’ by a pale hand with a brown fingerless glove, but the gesture lacked any real malice.

“Found anything?”

“ _A corroded thermal-nuclear fission core. I consumed it, as it would otherwise kill anyone near it. Stay away from the station._ ” “Damn, The station was pretty useful.” “ _I’m sorry._ ” They tried to appear guilty. “It’s fine. Find anything else?” He seemed to be brushing them off.

They gave him a large sack of food. Unspoiled food. Non-radioactive food. Safe food. For their soft, vulnerable neighbor. They had searched far and wide, just to find things they knew he liked.

“Holy shit dude! This is fucking great!”

“ _Yes. I searched very hard for this._ ”

Their squishy neighbor searched through the food bag, his grin getting wider and wider until they feared his face may split.

“Jerky, turkey bacon, venison, _bread_ \- where did you get all this?! Wait, I don’t want to know. I don’t care. You seriously went all out. Thanks, man.”

“ _Of course._ ”

Their neighbor rode back to the place the two of them shared as they flew along, which was more-or-less a destroyed apartment complex. As long as there was a roof, which there was, then it was shelter.

The whole complex belonged to not only them, but a few others as well. A short squishy being with black hair, who was rather loud if they pointed out his height and sold weapons for other squishies lived in one block with his brother, who was less angry and disgustingly complaisant. He had greeted them at the door.

A youngling squishy, who liked to hide from them for fun, also lived with him, and was the angry one’s spawn. A plant being also lived there, and a Kylmyys variant of themself lived with them. The other had seemed rather fearful at the notion of deadly beings being born on Earth, but it was not their fault their nest was smashed during the squishy’s nuke testing days.

Their siblings survived the nest destruction, but they were eaten, and those that ate them died from fatal poison. They were a highly dangerous breed. Their new kind’s bodies were ‘naturally’ laced with highly fatal unnamed neurotoxin, cyanide, tetrodotoxin, and botulin toxins. Whatever kinds of toxins or poisons they decided to eat could also be found festering within them for years.

Some called them ‘Deathmeat’ or ‘Botulin Wings’, but so long as others did not hurt them, they cared not. They were obviously not food. One could tell by their markings. The skeleton was the squishy symbol of death, yes?

They heard giggling from the doorway of their apartment. The youngling, Alice was her given name, wanted them to play again, so they would. “Alice, honey? Where are you?” Or not. The small angry one, Daniel, was looking for his spawn. “ _I will find her._ ” He gave them a scowl. “Oh, so I can’t find my own daughter now, is it? Some freak has to find her for me?” “ _I was not trying to enrage you. I simply wish to help._ ”

Did they mention the small one was especially angry? Yes? Oh. Just making sure. “I don’t need your goddamn help you overgrown _moth_ . I can find her on my own, dammit.” They nodded. “ _My apologies_ .” They stepped to the side, revealing the youngling to her father. “ _She has found me anyway._ ” He scowled at them, clutching his spawn’s small hand. He lead her back into his apartment as she waved ‘bye-bye’ at them. They waved back.

They lingered there for a moment, then went into their apartment. They stared at their neighbor at his worktable. “ _It is late._ ”

Their neighbor nodded. “Yup.”

“ _You should sleep._ ”

“Yup.”

“ _...Are you not going to sleep?_ ”

“Hah, nope. Too much to do.”

They frowned.

“ _...You cannot keep doing this._ ”

“Sorry.”

They vented a sigh of dangerously cold breath. “ _Your species requires at minimum eight hours of sleep every night to function correctly. Promise me you will be in bed in an hour._ ” The neighbor shook his head. “Wish I could. I’ll take night watch.” “ _I fear for you._ ” “Go to sleep, Reaper.” They huffed up cold air and made their way to a corner. They do not sleep lying down. That’s foolish. Which is why they normally take night watch when the neighbor sleeps, because he slept like that. They on the other hand did _not_ require sleep, but it helped pass time. So they stood in the corner, slowly but surely willing themself to sleep.

\---

Fearful eyes checked the surroundings before entering the combo on the keypad. The badge would not work anymore on the outside lock. _He_ broke his badge. The weapon could get him inside, though. Built-in badge. Smart. The best part? _He_ had no clue. Even if _he_ did not know, the scars showed exactly what would happen if _he_ found out. So his caution made sense. Well, to him, at least.

He let the first door slide shut behind him before checking the room and then using the badge in his weapon to open the next door. He stepped inside the doorway and jumped as the door slammed shut. He quickly looked around for unwanted guests. None… Well, to be seen, at least.

He took a deep breath as he crossed long suspended walkways and walked down steps. There were elevators, but they were too loud, so he disabled them. He was not much of an engineer, considering he grew up on a planet with traditional values and hatred towards technology, but he was forced to learn if he wished to keep this place hidden from prying eyes, which involved disabling most of the outside badge scanners. _He_ knew about the badges, that is why _he_ got rid of as many as _he_ could. But one was kept. A badge belonging to the superior officer on his ship. They were looking for peace, but all his group got was death and enslavement. _He_ kept the badge as a trophy.

He walked around the old facility, now empty and devoid of much life. In the cells there are long dead prisoners, and some at the last strand of their lives. Most of them were simply waiting out sentences for petty thievery or murder of a lesser degree. He knew, but simply because he asked. They told him in hopes he would give them food.

They were disappointed at first to find he had none to give. Nowadays, him bringing them food was a surprise and a blessing to them. He would not let them go. He could not. His loyalties still lied with the Plumbers, so he would follow their rules while in their base. So the prisoners stayed in cells.

Speaking of the prisoners.

He made his way to the cells, only to find most of the cell doors destroyed. The former residents of the cells were playing some old earth card game at a table. One waved to him.

“Guess you were right all along, man. There ain’t no food here. Sorry for doubtin’ ya, dude.” A severely wilted Florauna tried to smile up at him. It was almost saddening to look at.

Surely, they would die soon enough. He smelled something burnt.

He searched for the cells of the Pyronites. They had a burnout. Two of them. One of them took out a Piscciss Volann and another Florauna, and several other close-by prisoners. The burnout of the other was caused by the first.

The third. Where was the third? “Where is Eros?” He saw a weak flicker of white hot fire from the corner. “Here...Do not get close...”

His jaw dropped. He was in worse condition then last time! “What happened?” “Arthritis...burnout...sick...humid...you know...” Eros coughed and cringed, rolling his shoulder slightly, scorched dust flaking off. His thick accent was difficult to understand, but he’s managed so far. Eros was born on Pyros, so his main language wasn’t exactly Universal. Eros had picked up just enough to get by, thankfully. “Yes, but how is it _that_ much worse now? You could not have been close enough for Suris’ burnout to affect you as he was many cells away, and I doubt Eris’ resulting burnout reached you either, she was right next to him.” Eros shook his head wearily, sighing out charred dust. “Ate my air...” He scrunched up his nose in slight confusion, then sniffed the air, noticing how much easier it was to breathe now.

Oh, right, Pyronites consume a bunch of gases harmful to most other creatures when they die, but they naturally need them to live in the first place. Some people just have to die for others to live on. Come to think of it, the Piscciss Volann that died would have needed more water and less would be available for the others. The Pyronites burning out would make the air quality in the base get better, but if they have less to draw in, especially when they’re running as hot as Eros or Sol, the bigger the burnout.

Florauna that produce harmful items need more water anyway, and the living one produced consumable food and needed less water because it just needs to plant its roots to be alright. Like now. He was kind of everywhere.

He was worried about Eros, though. He was the first real friend he’s had in...he could not remember. “I can see how this is an issue for you.” Eros nodded, his friend’s violent coughs loud in his ears. In the corner of his eye, he saw Sol slide down from his cell. The younger Pyronite dashed up to him, and on impulse he tensed. “Hey now, I ain’t gonna hurt ya. Cool your jets before you kill someone.”

“R-right, sorry, it is just impulse.” Sol nodded. “Totally understandable, Warden.” “So, it is a prison break then, but not really?” The group at the table shrugged, Eros coughing up  more dust. Ah yes, the most dangerous group of criminals in the entire universe. How terrifying. How will he ever deal with them. He was drowning in danger and crime.

In an hour or so, he’d have to go back up to serve the Warlord, but for now he played ‘Go Fish’ with minor criminals, despite being a Plumber.

  
How ironic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOOO BOI WHO DAT I WONDER  
> Also, I have a slightly different writing style now. Maybe it'll affect the overall tone of the fic, I don't know.


End file.
